The Amorous Chatelaine by Lindsay Townsend

Emma de Barri is the generous chatelaine of a large estate, where she schools young, green knights in the matters of courtly dress and deportment. As a widow, she is often the object of desire but never has a knight tempted her away from the memory of her late husband.

Sir Robert is neither young nor green. He is hardened by battle and tempered by the vagaries of life. He is also rough and unrefined—completely lacking in manners, sophistication or any of the qualities Lady de Barri values. But his arms are strong, his face is handsome and his heart is as bright and gold as the sun at noon. A heart he gives unreservedly to Lady de Barri.

As Emma teaches Sir Robert how to read and dress, how to be gentle and composed, he teaches his sweet chatelaine how to live and love again.

Ms Townsend drops her reader into the medieval world of Knights and Ladies and in short order reveals two characters with depths, charm and baggage they are both subconsciously using as shields against moving forward.

All it takes for Sir Robert is one look at the Lady bathing in the open air pool to fall head-over-heels in love, but never having felt the emotion before, it takes him a while to cotton on, and yet that is part of Ms Townsend's skill in presenting such a loveable hero. While he is gallant, strong, courteous and caring, he lacks social skills and presumes they will forever hold him back from finding true love. Indeed due to past events, he doesn’t ever expect a woman to look upon him with any favour. When challenged, he rises to protect the woman he’s given his heart to.

Widowed lady Emma never expects to give her heart to another and yet, and despite the number of knights she has schooled in social etiquette and expectations, it is the honourable and courageous Sir Robert, who lacks all those graces she normally holds dear, that captures her heart. She is wily, witty and charming and when she has a goal she goes after it.

The challenge when it comes is unexpected and takes a little readjustment, but only a little. The author skims over the details of the conflict and swiftly moves the reader on to how her hero and heroine overcome the considered obstacles in their path.

It is the way that the author unveils the insecurities of her characters, that adds depth and charm to the romance, and her scene-setting is delightful.

There are some sexually charged scenes in The Amorous Chatelaine, of which only one is mildly explicit. That said the author’s light touch, and ‘sweet’ technique, present a rough diamond of a hero in Sir Roger, and just the woman to polish up those sharp edge in widowed Lady Em, the Chatelaine.

For lovers of historical romance, this is a quick and uplifting story.

RATING EXPLANATION:

1 Star— At this time, we at LASR do not post these reviews. If the book was boring, badly edited, poorly written, had little or no plot, stilted dialogue, and/or unsympathetic characters, we will decline the review.

2 Stars— Not wonderful, but tolerable. There may be some minor editing glitches but not enough to stop you reading. Not a wall-banger, but nothing you'd re-read. This is a book you would borrow from the library - not buy - and never check out again.

3 Stars— Good. Mostly enjoyable. You made it through and didn't consider it a waste of time or money. The story was strong enough or the conflict tight enough, so even when the book faltered, it was able to draw you back in and keep you. There's a chance you'll recommend it to a friend, but it wouldn't go on your keeper shelf.

4 Stars— Very Good. You're glad you were the one who got to review the book. You would probably buy it and would definitely recommend it to your friends. You liked the characters and the plot. The writing style was good and the editing clean.

5 Stars— Great! You would definitely buy this book. You would definitely recommend it to your friends. You really loved the characters and the plot and would consider looking for this authors back list or making her an autobuy. The writing and editing were superb.

LASR Best Book - For a book or story that is truly exceptional. You think about it when you're not reading it. You wonder what happens to the characters when you finish. You would absolutely buy everything else this author had to offer. The highest praise - and reserved for only a few.

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